BLOG: HOT HOT HOT!!!!

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- We're running about 4 degrees warmer than Thursday at the same time, so we are taking the high up past the century mark for the afternoon. Rest of previous forecast looks good.

While relief from Wednesday's heat and humidity was hard to come by in the Eastern region, a complex of heavy thunderstorms that erupted across upstate New York late last evening has managed to push through central and southern parts of New England very early Thursday morning.

We'll have to deal with one more day of excessive heat, and with dewpoint temperatures expected to be in the mid and upper-60s in some communities, it'll "feel like" it's greater than 100 in many communities.  The current record high of 98 at BWI could easily be broken.

The "back of this excessive heat and humidity" will get broken over the weekend, because a cool front that is already causing some strong thunderstorms across the Great Lakes region early Thursday morning will be on the move Thursday night and Friday.

In fact, some places across northeastern Pennsylvania, upstate New York and in northern/western New England could see a few thunderstorms developing by mid or late-afternoon.  These should make a move toward Baltimore and the Eastern Shore communities at some point Thursday night.  While the "most active" part of  Thursday night may be the evening, we still can't rule out the possibility of a shower or heavier thunderstorm after midnight. Any of these storms could bring strong, potentially damaging wind gusts and heavy rain, but Friday won't be quite as hot.  Most temperatures will be in the lower-90s, and it'll still be fairly humid.  There could be a shower or heavier thunderstorm in spots Friday afternoon and early Friday night.

The global models do push the leading edge of somewhat cooler and definitely drier air all the way down into Virginia late tonight and tomorrow, but the boundary isn't expect to move much more beyond that point.  This could lead to some potential forecasting pitfalls (or, "headaches") for us this coming weekend, which we alluded to Wednesday.  The one thing we are more and more CONFIDENT about is that Saturday's temperatures in and around the Greater Baltimore area will be mostly in the mid-80s. Sunday's temperatures will be in the 80s again.